Washington Nationals Achieve Statistical Milestone Not Reached in Over 100 Years

The Washington Nationals have done something in 2024 that hasn't been done in over a century.

Sep 3, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; Washington Nationals shortstop CJ Abrams (5) steals second base as Miami Marlins shortstop Xavier Edwards (63) covers on the play during the eighth inning at loanDepot Park. / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Looking to make up for the disadvantage they were at from a talent standpoint, the Washington Nationals had a plan coming into the season; they were going to be as aggressive as possible on the basepaths.

It is a strategy that has proven to be a double-edged sword for the team in 2024. Taking advantage of their youth and athleticism with aggressiveness on the basepaths made a lot of sense.

Looking to create an edge anywhere, this was one area they felt they could exploit.

It has paid off in some regard, as the Nationals lead baseball with 198 steals entering play on Sept. 11. The Cincinnati Reds are right on their tail with 194, led by their electric shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who has 64 on his own.

There are also some downsides to their approach on the bases.

Washington leads the MLB by a wide margin in caught stealing attempts with 65. The next closest team is the Tampa Bay Rays with 48.

The Nationals also have a calamity of errors running the bases, one of which went viral.

Against the New York Yankees, a bizarre double play that had seven numbers recorded in the scorebook was turned.

Some of those errors have cost the team games, as run-scoring opportunities are wasted and opposing teams gain momentum.

But, how they operate on the bases also has them knocking on the door of MLB history.

On Tuesday night against the Atlanta Braves, they were destroyed 12-0. During the course of the game, designated hitter Andres Chaparro was hit by a pitch with a runner on base.

He would eventually steal second base, the first swipe of his Major League career. Chaparro is the 23rd player to steal a base for Washington this season, which is a plateau that hasn’t been reached in over 100 years.

With Andrés Chaparro’s stolen base in the 1st inning, the Nationals have become the first team since the 1917 Pittsburgh Pirates to have 23 different players steal a base in a season.

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) September 10, 2024

19 players on the team have multiple steals, and seven have reached double-digits.

Don’t expect the base stealing to stop any time soon given how young some of the main contributors to those 198 steals are.

Only two players who have appeared in a game for Washington this season haven’t stolen a base. Travis Blankenhorn and rookie Darren Baker, who made his MLB debut on Sept. 1.